The Art of Love
by Rikki Felidae
Summary: A HPFC Forum Challenge to use rules from 'The Art of War' in a romance story. My Rule was: In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory


_In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory. -The Art of War  
_

* * *

As Cedric walked back to the dorm that night from the astronomy tower he was lost in thought. Surely he would get some good natured teasing about who he had been with all night. Most of them would probably be asking if he had finally given Cho Chang a chance but he couldn't tell them the truth, with the way things were none of them would stand for the girl she was seeing. It was hard enough to get her to come back to him when they stayed a secret but if the school knew? He would lose her.

A smile spread across the Hogwarts Champion at the thought of her. She was wonderful, even if she was playing hard to get. All his Hufflepuff charm had gone into just getting her to meet him tonight, he had no idea how he would keep her coming back. He played the conversation over in his mind and one of her comment made him pause outside the portrait to the dorm.

'All the attention might flatter some girls, but I simply find it tedious and dishonest' She had said to him in such an off handed way he had almost forgotten about it. Now that he stopped to think though something in her town of voice… was this a test?

Oh now, she wanted to see if he would obsess over her like all the other boys in the school it seemed. She was playing hard to get until she knew how he would react to her.

With an uncharacteristically Slytherin thought Cedric was smiling as he walked into the Common Room. She wanted to see how he would react? He wouldn't react at all. He couldn't ignore her, that would send the wrong message, but her little test required a test in turn. He wanted to know if she would take this seriously too. Veela weren't known for fidelity but he was willing to call that typical British wizarding prejudice if she provided the evidence.

Fleur Delacour would not get a hint that he was interested her any more than any of the rest of the foreign students at the school this year, for a few days anyway. He was really interested in her after all.

* * *

The next few days were hard for Cedric, he was not used to playing mind games like a Slytherin and playing hard to get wasn't really his thing either. However now was not the time for honesty in words, now was the time to play subtlety with emotion word and action. With a politician for a father the boy was not such a stranger to the idea and in all honestly even people-friendly Hufflepuffs had to know when to say something straight out and how to hint at something to make it sink in better. People were strange and diverse people and communicating with them, a specialty of the badger house, was often a complicated thing.

Communicating with a person who was part Veela just added all the more complications not to mention he was trying to court her…

Glancing up from his breakfast to the Ravenclaw table where the object of his musings tended to sit he simply smiled at the narrowed eyes that met his own. After three days she finally seemed to have caught on to his plan. Actually he didn't think it would have taken her this long but well, she did and that was the important part. No, the important part is what she would do about it.

He was starting to think he had misinterpreted her look when he felt something being banished into his lap. Paling at the thought of what could have happened, had the caster not been so good with control, he felt that a note had been passed to him. Pretending to look through his school bag he opened the note, smiling when he finished it.

Fleur had seen right through his little show, and wanted to see him that evening. Perfect.

Now what was he going to bring her for a present?

* * *

With his present in hand Cedric climbed the stairs to the tower a quarter after eleven. Not for the first time he was glad that the curfew was lifted for the Champions of each school that were of age. Filch and his cat had caught him just as he was leaving the Hufflepuff corridor.

Figuring out what to present the French girl with at a token of his intent was a trial. He had been thinking about it for a long time but hadn't bought anything until today for fear she would reject him before he would show he was serious.

From the way she talked though almost every classic gift that he had thought of had been tried by one suitor or another and all had fallen short.

Finally he had given up on being completely original and hoped that his work to make this little joke happen would be appreciated, Fluer's sense of humor tended to be fickle at times. Of course he could have just shown up with nothing but that just did not seem like the thing to do with what he wanted to ask her tonight.

With a smile that he hoped showed his genuine feelings for her he greeted her in typical French fashion before handing her his gift.

"Oh Cedric you did not have-" She paused as she studied the label on the bottle "You give me an American wine for a present?"

"Well," the boy couldn't really tell what she thought of it, if she was smiling or frowning "you said that none of the French wines you were given were ever as good as your godmother's vineyard so I thought you might like to branch out…"

After a moment she looked up at him with a smile and a laugh that broke the tension between them.

"Well I suppose I could be kind and try it, to be fair but I do not think that Americans will be able to hold up to even my inferior countrymen!"

"That could very well be, but at least you will have the confidence to say so from experience!"

"I would say so Mr. Diggory, " Fleur was still smiling and Cedric couldn't help but smile back as wide as his mouth would stretch. "Now what are we up here in this cold tower for? You will let me go to bed, and then we shall talk more tomorrow on this 'Hogsmeade' weekend I keep getting asked to."

"Using me as a shield now?" He couldn't be upset though; he could tell she was joking with him, mostly.

"Only mostly Cedric, only mostly, and that is far more than any other boy can say." Her look changed to be a little more serious, another test.

"Then I am the best of all of them," He replied in all seriousness.

"I feel bad now, not getting a gift for you as well," By her lightened tone he had passed the test but he hoped his next comment would seal the deal.

"But Fleur I was given the gift of hearing your laugh tonight, beautiful and unrestrained and that is gift enough for me."

By the kiss he was given the next day when she greeted him in the Great Hall, Cedric was pretty sure the war of love was finished, for them at least.


End file.
